NEW DELHI: In one of the most deadly calamities in the state of Himachal Pradesh (HP) 1 person has died while nearly 50 are feared buried under the debris as several vehicles, including a bus operated by the Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) reportedly carrying over 40 passengers came under a heavy landslide on the national highway (NH) no 5 in Kinnaur.  

According to an interim report released by the deputy commissioner of District Emergency Operation Centre of Kinnaur, the fateful incident happened at 12 pm on NH 5 at tehsil Nigulsarai in Nichar which comes under the Bhabanager police station and reported 1 death and 9 injured in the incident. 

Reports from the ground quoting local people who were the first to reach the site say that apart from the ill-fated HRTC bus, four other vehicles including a car, a bus and a truck are trapped in the rubble and rescue operation are hampered since sliding and shooting rocks from above the continued to fall on the accident site making it risky for rescue personnel to approach the site. The landslide and the incident have also caused a huge traffic jam on the NH 5.

Chief Minister of HP Jai Ram Thakur meanwhile said that several teams of resue operations teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and have been dispatched to the locations, and over 200 jawans of the 17th, 19th & 43rd battalion of Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) already reached the area within hours of the incident.

The ITBP also tweeted about the incident along with the photographs of the location and said, "A landslide reported on Reckong Peo- Shimla Highway in #Kinnaur District in Himachal Pradesh today at around 12.45 Hrs. One truck, a HRTC Bus and few vehicles reported came under the rubble. Many people reported being trapped. ITBP teams rushed for rescue. More details awaited."

The full impact of the accident along with the number of casualties and injured people will be ascertained only after the rescue and search teams progress with the operations are able to clear the debris.